Enacts the "get congestion pricing right act"; directs the MTA to allocate $45 million to the MTA's bus system to increase frequency and reliability; directs the MTA to allocate $45 million to expand the fare-free bus pilot program within NYC; requires reporting on such investments.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9415A
SPONSOR: Mamdani (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to enacting the
"get congestion pricing right act"
PURPOSE:
To improve the Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus system in
anticipation of congestion pricing.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 sets the short title to be the "Get Congestion Pricing Right"
Act.
§ 2 provides the legislative findings and intent.
§ 3 amends the public authorities law by adding a new section 1266-n.
Subsection 1 provides $45,000,000 to the bus system to increase frequen-
cy and reliability of buses.
The section includes parameters for route selections, including that
routes chosen must have capacity for more frequency absent infrastruc-
ture changes. This section also includes reporting requirements upon
receipt Of funding.
Subsection 2 expands the fare free bus program to 15 new lines (three
per borough) for one year, for a total of $45,000,000.
The section specifies that the MTA must select routes according to: (a)
service adequacy and equity for low-income and economically disadvan-
taged communities and (b) access to employment and commercial activity
in areas served by the fare-free routes. Each route selected must also
meet a threshold of 20,000 daily riders at minimum.
The section also includes reporting requirements upon receipt of fund-
ing; survey requirements including quality of life questions and varied
survey methods; a requirement to implement all-door boarding; and promo-
tional requirements.
§ 4 relates to the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Ahead of congestion pricing's roll-out, we need to transform public
transit, and better bus service is the key to getting congestion pricing
right. Buses enable riders who live far from the subway to get to
Manhattan and facilitate crosstown and inter-borough travel. Buses also
need more investment if they are to attract more riders: - crawling at 8
mph on of bus riders are
Moreover, improving buses was central to the successful implementation
of congestion pricing elsewhere. Before London started congestion pric-
ing, it increased bus service by 17% (4). As a result, congestion was
reduced by 30% and bus travel in central London increased by 33% (5).
This is also true in Stockholm, where expanded bus service led to
congestion pricing success: traffic was reduced by 22% and public senti-
ment towards the policy skyrocketed (6).
We want to see these same results in NYC, but need to chart them now,
through this legislation. Firstly, this bill allocates $45 million to
increase bus service frequency and reliability, along with stipulations
for route selection and reporting requirements. Secondly, the legis-
lation allocates $45 million to expand the fare-free bus pilot, bringing
three routes to each borough. These bus service investments will attract
new riders - and increase ridership for the long term - making
congestion pricing a success.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
$90 million cost to the State
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
(1)https://www.nvtimes.com/2023/08/17/nvrection/eric-adams-buses-
nyc.html?searchResultPosition=1
(2) https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-buses-running-slowest-speeds
-since-2019/ :-:text=Buses%20run%2Obv%20the%20MTA,8.3%20mph%20t
he%20year%20before.
(3) https://new.mta.info/document/115376
(4)https://www.vice.com/en/article/dv343v/new-vork-city-is-about
-to-screw-up-congestion-pricing
(5) Iattps://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/143883/10
ndons-congestion-charge-celebrates-20-vears-of-success/
(6) https://www.sfcta.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/Concrestion%
20Pricing%20Case%20Studies%20200213%20-%20Stockholm.pdf MTA buses areth-
eslowest in the nation(1) average(2)-andthey aren't reliable:38% dissa-
tisfiedwithservice reliability(3).
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9415--A
IN ASSEMBLY
March 14, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. MAMDANI -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.
BICHOTTE HERMELYN, DAVILA, FORREST, GALLAGHER, GONZALEZ-ROJAS,
MITAYNES, SEPTIMO, SHRESTHA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions -- committee discharged,
bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
committee
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to enacting the
"get congestion pricing right act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "get congestion pricing right act".
3 § 2. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby finds and
4 declares the importance of the New York Metropolitan Transportation
5 Authority (MTA) and affirms the duty of the legislature to ensure that
6 the MTA operates effectively. The MTA provides an essential service:
7 transporting millions of New Yorkers on billions of trips each year to
8 and from their places of work, worship, and gathering. The legislature
9 further finds that, as the MTA moves to implement congestion pricing,
10 the MTA must also encourage the use of public transit as an alternative
11 by providing more frequent, reliable, and affordable service - partic-
12 ularly bus service. The legislature finds that bus system investments
13 were at the core of London's successful congestion pricing implementa-
14 tion and declares that New York must follow suit by investing in its own
15 bus service prior to the implementation of congestion pricing to better
16 serve riders and attract riders for the long-term.
17 § 3. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section
18 1266-n to read as follows:
19 § 1266-n. Bus service frequency and reliability and fare-free bus
20 expansion. 1. The authority shall allocate forty-five million dollars in
21 state funds received to the authority's bus system to increase frequency
22 and reliability.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14661-03-4
A. 9415--A 2
1 (a) Upon receipt of such funding the authority shall evaluate target-
2 ing such investments according, but not limited, to increasing the reli-
3 ability, frequency, and speed of the following:
4 (i) feeder routes to subway stations;
5 (ii) express buses into the central business district;
6 (iii) buses that are chronically over capacity; and
7 (iv) local and select buses.
8 (b) Routes chosen shall have capacity for more frequency absent
9 infrastructure changes and priority shall be given to increasing service
10 on the lines that are part of the fare-free bus pilot program.
11 (c) The authority shall report on its route decisions in an initial
12 public report prior to the launch of such investments. The authority
13 shall also report an evaluation of frequency and reliability outcomes of
14 each selected route via two reports. The first such report shall be
15 completed no later than December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-four,
16 and the second such report shall be completed no later than one year
17 after the launch of such investments. Such outcome reports shall also
18 include cost and schedule projections for each route funded by such
19 increase.
20 (d) Such investments shall be implemented by the first day of
21 congestion pricing's implementation.
22 2. The authority shall allocate forty-five million dollars in state
23 funds received to expand the fare-free bus pilot program within the city
24 of New York.
25 (a) The fare-free bus pilot program expansion shall last for one year.
26 (b) The fare-free bus pilot program expansion shall consist of at
27 least fifteen new fare-free bus routes and shall cost no more than
28 forty-five million dollars in net operating costs. Net operating costs
29 shall be determined by the total costs of implementing the fare-free bus
30 pilot program expansion and shall not accrue to the city of New York.
31 (c) The fare-free bus routes included in the fare-free bus pilot
32 program expansion shall be selected by the authority, and may include
33 either New York City Transit Authority or MTA bus routes, provided that
34 there shall be at least three new fare-free bus routes within each of
35 the following counties: Kings county, New York county, Queens county,
36 Richmond county, and Bronx county.
37 (d) The factors considered by the authority in selecting such fare-
38 free bus routes shall include but not be limited to:
39 (i) service adequacy and equity for low-income and economically disad-
40 vantaged communities; and
41 (ii) access to employment and commercial activity in areas served by
42 such fare-free routes.
43 (e) Each route selected shall meet a minimum threshold of twenty thou-
44 sand daily riders.
45 (f) The authority shall report to its board on the fare-free bus pilot
46 program expansion after it has been in effect for three months, six
47 months, and again upon the conclusion of the fare-free bus pilot program
48 expansion. Such reports shall also be sent to the governor and every
49 member of the state legislature and shall include, but not be limited
50 to, the following comparative performance metrics:
51 (i) ridership totals relative to equivalent time periods before the
52 fare-free bus pilot program expansion took effect;
53 (ii) percent of scheduled service delivered;
54 (iii) average end-to-end bus speed changes;
55 (iv) customer journey time performance;
56 (v) additional bus stop time and travel time;
A. 9415--A 3
1 (vi) wait assessments;
2 (vii) the cost to provide such service itemized by route; and
3 (viii) scheduled service frequency.
4 (g) The authority shall also survey riders on the fare-free routes at
5 the three-, six- and twelve-month marks on topics including but not
6 limited to:
7 (i) overall rider satisfaction;
8 (ii) real and perceived economic benefit experienced by riders,
9 including economic savings;
10 (iii) experience of security and safety when riding the fare-free bus;
11 and
12 (vi) general demographic information including annual income, vehicle
13 access, race and ethnicity, disability status, age, and enrollment
14 status in discount program. The authority shall also include questions
15 from the UMKC Center for Economic Information survey research of the
16 Kansas City Area Transportation Authority's (KCATA/RideKC) ZeroFare
17 program quality-of-life effects. Survey methods shall include in-person,
18 phone and online.
19 (h) The authority shall implement all-door boarding on all fare-free
20 buses beginning the first day of the fare-free bus pilot program expan-
21 sion.
22 (i) The authority shall promote the fare-free routes through the
23 following methods at a minimum: signage on buses, signage at bus stops,
24 intersecting subway stops, announcement on the authority "fares & tolls"
25 webpage, digital advertisements on subways, and across MTA social media
26 accounts. Any messaging promoting the fare-free routes shall also
27 include messaging reminding riders that such program is on select routes
28 and that such riders should treat their bus operators with respect and
29 decorum.
30 (j) The authority shall present the fare-free bus pilot program expan-
31 sion to its board for approval no later than sixty days after the effec-
32 tive date of this section, for implementation no later than ninety days
33 after board adoption.
34 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
